Play background sounds on Mac

You can have your Mac play ambient background sounds—such as ocean waves or rain—to help you focus or rest. See the Apple Support article Use Background Sounds to help with sleep, focus, and more.

  1. On your Mac, choose Apple menu > System Settings, click Accessibility in the sidebar, then click Audio. (You may need to scroll down.)

    Open Audio settings for me

  2. Go to Background Sounds, turn on “Background sounds,” then set any of the following:

    • Choose a sound: Click Choose, then click the name of the sound you want to set as the background sound.

      Click the Download button next to the name of a sound to download a high-quality version of it to your Mac. You must be connected to the internet.

      To remove a downloaded sound, click the Trash button next to the name of the sound, then click Remove. A sample of the sound remains available to use as a background sound.

    • Adjust the volume: Drag the slider to increase or decrease the volume of the background sound.

    • Adjust the frequency ranges: Click Choose next to Equalizer, then turn on Equalizer. Drag the slider around the grid to adjust the balance.

      Adjust the tone: Click the Tone pop-up menu, then choose Broad or Focused. Broad lets you hear a wider range of sounds while Focused helps you hear specific sounds.

      Adjust the sound balance: Drag the slider next to Balance left or right.

      Note: You’ll see settings for Tone and Balance after you turn on Equalizer.

    • Set a timer: Click Choose next to Timer, then turn on the timer. Click the “Set Timer” pop-up menu, then choose an option. Depending on your selection, you can set an amount of time or a specific time in the text box below.

      Tip: Turn on “Always use these settings” if you plan to use the settings you selected in your daily routine—like during downtime or focus time.

    • Turn off background sounds when your Mac is not in use: Turn on so your Background Sounds automatically turn off with a lock screen or screen saver modes.

    • Adjust the sound settings on your Mac: Adjust other sound settings on your Mac that may impact Background Sounds. See Change Sound settings.

Tip: You can also play background sounds right from the desktop by adding the Hearing option to the menu bar or Control Center. Choose Apple menu > System Settings, click Menu Bar in the sidebar, click Add Controls, click Hearing, then choose Add to Control Center or Add to Menu Bar under Hearing Accessibility (you may need to scroll down). Click the Hearing icon in the menu bar or in Control Center to start and stop background sounds, change the sound that’s playing, and adjust the volume.

Morty Proxy This is a proxified and sanitized view of the page, visit original site.
Helpful?
Character limit: 250
Maximum character limit is 250.
Thanks for your feedback.
Morty Proxy This is a proxified and sanitized view of the page, visit original site.